Published 5:00 am, Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Houston Dance Theater is celebrating the holidays with its 31st annual production of “The Nutcracker” featuring local dancers and guest dancers from all over the world.

The production takes place at 7 p.m. Nov. 30 and 2:30 p.m. Dec. 1 at Geiger Performing Arts Center at Westfield High School in Spring.

The 1,200-seat venue is expected to sell out both nights with patrons coming from as far away as Louisiana, Beaumont and College Station, said Angela Jackson, director of the American Academy of Dance,

“It’s the perfect, ideal location,” she said. “A lot of people are glad we are so close to I-45. It’s a convenient location for them to come and see the show.”

Produced over eight weeks, “The Nutcracker” includes 100 dancers from the ages of 5 to professional level. With stunning visuals, the show rivals and even exceeds what the downtown theater district has to offer, said Jackson.

“It’s a very elaborate production. We don’t leave anything out, but every year we kind of give it new flavor,” said Jackson.

While Jackson promises a traditional show, she said the cast is what truly makes the production stand out. This year the production boasts a more diverse cast including dancers from Russian, Panama and Japan.

The lead, 14-year-old Quinn Price, will be the first African American Clara chosen for the role in the theater’s history, said Jackson.

“She stole the show,” said Jackson. “She is so mature and handling the acting part of the role beautifully. Clara puts through the ringer in the story. One minute she’s up and one minute she’s down. The soldiers and the mice are all around her and she thinks they’re going to kill her nutcracker prince."

The company is also well known for their after-performance interviews, which helps Girl Scouts earn their Nutcracker badge.

“The patch originated here over 20 years ago,” said Jackson. “Now it’s a national patch. A lot of scouts come from all over Texas to earn that badge.”